Project-Based Learning of Environmental Engineering: A Case Study

Project-based learning is a comprehensive approach to classroom teaching and learning that is designed to engage students in investigations of authentic problems. This paper presents perceptions and attitudes of students that have participated in a Project-Based Learning (PBL) course in environmental engineering. The course, `Environmental Engineering II', was developed and taught using PBL approach. In this course, 3or 4-member teams of students carried out two projects that required data collection, literature review, design, and preparation of professional reports. The two projects comprised 50% of the final grade. At the end of the semester, a survey was conducted with seven questions to compare the students’ learning environment in the environmental engineering design course, with lecture, exams, and project reports/case studies, with the traditional lecture-centric course. The qualitative paradigm was found to be suitable for studying the process undergone by the students, mainly because the study focused on the materials they learned in a prerequisite course and how outcomes of the projects are used in our daily lives. Required data was collected by means of literature review, laboratory experiments, and field visits. Students’ perceptions and attitudes about PBL approach appeared to be favorable and acceptable as a learning environment for future environmental engineering design courses.